[supercat]

That sound is for the movies...... all of my guns are fully loaded (including one in the chamber. The first sound you hear may be the last.

I firearm with a round in a chamber will, in a house fire, shoot that round with the same force as if you'd pulled the trigger. IMHO, if you have time to get to a gun which is not in your immediate possession, you have time to chamber a round.

[budwiesest]

a round in a chamber will, in a house fire, shoot that round with the same force as if you'd pulled the trigger.

Many moons ago, in the grip of an Alaskan winter, my mother decided to 'burn' some trash in our fireplace to get some wood started. Not knowing a couple of Air Force issued 45 shells had fallen into a bedroom trash can (spilled off the dresser?) she and my sister snuggled up to the warmth only to be rudely awakened by a couple of blasts.

Ashes-on-fire were quickly upon them. My question is: how lethal might the projectile have been, given that the casing was probably moving with the same speed in the opposite direction? [True Story]